Mikel: I Could Leave Chelsea In January If…

Nigeria captain Mikel Obi could end his long relationship with Chelsea in January on next summer if he is not offered a new deal by the club.

Mikel has been at Chelsea since 2006 and only John Terry has been longer at the club in the present squad.

The Super Eagles midfielder has yet to feature under Antonio Conte and he admits that his time at Stamford Bridge could be up.

“I have one year left,” Mikel said in a Goal.com interview. “When you have a year left as a football player, you have to start planning and start thinking about what’s going to happen at the end of the season. Yes, there are going to be rumours, yes, there are going to be conversations between clubs.

“When you have a year left, in January, you are allowed to talk to other clubs and sign a pre-contract or have an agreement so, yes, I will talk to other clubs because you never know what is going to happen.

“I’ve been here for a long, long time. I’ve spent 11 years of my life in this football club, it is my home.

“This season is the last at the club if my contract ends. I am quite relaxed about it, the future looks good.”

Mikel however insists that his preference would be to stay at Chelsea.

He added: “I am always open to a new conversation, a negotiation. But if there’s none, the future still looks bright. One day you have to move on. I think my memories here, my achievements here, are something that no one will ever take away from me.

“I have won everything there is to win with this football club. We were the first London club to win the Champions League, and forever I will be one of the first players to win the Champions League for Chelsea. Those memories will never go away.

“I will decide where is best for me and my family. You don’t just wake up as a single man and sign wherever, it has to be good for you, the family, the kids, so it is about the package. The best decision has to be made.

“If it is going to be the Premier League there will be options. If it is China or some other places, we will see. One thing is for sure, I will make the best decision.”